Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Waldhirst 1227 Ass

• Waldhurst 1227 Ass 1228 FF

• Hirst 1228 FF 1285 BM

• Wald(e)hyrst 1252 BM 1272 FF

• Woldhirst, Woldhyrst 1258 FF 1272 Rams c.1350 FF 1272 ADi 1294 FF 1318

• Weldhurst, Weldhirst 1270 Ass 1355 BM

• Woldhurst 1350 FF 1546 BM

Etymology

The name hyrst must once have been applied to the whole district round here, from its well-wooded character (see further Hurstingstone supra 203).

In course of time when some of the woodland was cleared the more open country round Old Hurst was distinguished as Wold Hurst (v. weald ), while the still thickly wooded country round Wood Hurst came to be distinctively so called. Curiously enough, at the present time there are small woods at Old Hurst but none at Woodhurst. The loss of initial w is fairly common dialectally (cf. Odell supra 34 and Old (Nth)).